1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of assay of biological excrements. More specifically, the present invention relates to a toilet system having functions of sampling and assay of biological excrement such as urine. The present invention relates also to a testing sheet handling device suitable for use in a toilet system of the type mentioned as a sub-assembly therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Biological excrements released from a human body provides an ideal source of information concerning the health conditions of individuals. For example, urine contains biological substances, such as glucose, albumin, urobilinogen and occult blood, the quantitative determination of which is helpful in the diagnosis of sickness such as diabetes.
Sampling of urine for the purposes of urinalysis is often cumbersome and unhygienic for individuals as well as for those engaged in the assay. Furthermore, there has been a need for an analyzing equipment which may be conveniently used at home for daily health check.
Accordingly, various toilet systems have been proposed which are provided with a built-in urine analyzer. The results of analysis may be displayed or printed out in situ for personal inspection. Also, the results may be recorded in an information storage medium such as IC cards and brought to a hospital, or may be directly sent to the hospital via telecommunication network for medical diagnosis and data management.
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 60-233551 discloses a toilet-type urinalysis apparatus having a sampling spoon provided within a toilet bowl. An electric urine sensor positioned at the bottom of the sampling spoon analyzes sampled urine and sends the results via a signal line to an analyzer located aside of the toilet bowl. Because of the presence of the sampling spoon, this apparatus is not suitable for use in the same manner as in the conventional toilet.
Japanese U.M. Kokai Publication No. 59-183969 describes a toilet system wherein a quantity of urine is sampled by a pump and is sent to an analyzer by way of a conduit. This system is bulky and has a problem that the conduit is apt to be clogged.
European Patent Publication No. A2-292,311 proposes a toilet-type system having a urine sampling cylinder. This system is designed such that liquid reagents are dispensed into the sampled quantity of urine. The use of liquid reagents is advantageous in that the used urine sample and the reagent may be disposed into the conventional sewage system. However, this system is unsuitable to provide a high degree of accuracy of analysis because dispensing of liquid reagent in an accurate amount is extremely difficult to perform. Moreover, handling and storage of liquid reagents is cumbersome.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,431, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed a toilet system with health examination function. This system also uses a urine sampling pump and a conduit for sampled urine and, for reasons mentioned hereinbefore, there is a room for improvement.
Another type of toilet-type system having a built-in analyzer proposes the use of a test paper incorporating impregnated reagent.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,550, also assigned to the assignee of the present inventions, describes various embodiments of toilet system with urine constituent measuring device. One embodiment is designed such that the user manually dips a test paper into a urine pool and then places it within an analyzer for measurement. In another embodiment, a roll of test paper is provided and the used section of the test paper roll is cut off by a cutter. In both embodiments, the used test paper or the used section of the roll is discarded into the toilet bowl and is flushed away together with toilet flushing water.
In the copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/573,645, filed Aug. 27, 1990 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,539 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is also proposed the use of a test paper. The toilet bowl is provided with a special small cavity serving to sample and store a quantity of urine. A telescoping arm carrying a test paper lowers the paper down into the urine pool in the sampling cavity and the paper soaked up with urine is then raised therefrom for measurement. The used test paper is similarly discarded into the toilet bowl for subsequent disposal into the conventional sewage system. To this end, that patent application proposes use of a test paper made from a water soluble material.
Use of water soluble test paper imposes considerable limitations on urinalysis conducted by means of a toilet-type system. Thus, in order to provide an effective information concerning the health conditions of individuals, it is desirable that the urine sample be analyzed for a plurality of biological substances. Typically, glucose, albumin, urobilinogen and occult blood are substances requiring quantitative determination. If all these substances are to be quantified in a single analysis, i.e., in one sequence of procedures, then such an test paper must be used which each is impregnated with a plurality of reagents corresponding in number to the number of substances to be detected. For example, four different kinds of reagents must be juxtaposed on a single piece of test paper. In that case, since water soluble material forming the test paper is apt to allow migration of chemicals, reagents are often mixed and contaminated with each other so that color reaction capability of respective reagents is degraded.
Commercially available on the market are those urinary testing sheets which are made from water impermeable substrate such as plastic sheet. Each sheet is provided with a plurality of reactive segments affixed thereon and spaced from each other. Each segment is made from absorbent material such as blotting paper and is impregnated with a reagent. Since respective segments on the plastic substrate are chemically isolated from each other due to the presence of intervening plastic material, there is little likelihood of reagent contamination. Use of such plastic testing sheets in combination with the toilet system having urinalysis function, however, is prohibitive since these sheets are not designed for disposal into the toilet bowl. Therefore, it is necessary for the individual user of the system to bring the used sheets to an appropriate disposal station. This procedure is cumbersome as well as unhygienic.